Manure-loader.



W. GRAETZ.

MANURE LOADER.

N APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 1911. gyyfigg PatentedFeb. 13, 1912.

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MANURE LOADER.

APPLIUATION FILED AUG.3,1911. L L LQYY QTQQ Pabenbed Feb. 13, 1912.

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MANURE LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 1911.

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WILLIAM cinema, or soivmnn, MINNESOTA, AssiGNoa or ONE-THIRD TO newer MILLER, or BEAVER nan, WISCONSIN, AND ONE-THIRD 'ro FRANK L. none-son,

0F STEWARTVILLE, MINNESOTA.

MANURE-LOADER.

mince-a.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

Application filed August 3, 1911. Serial No. 642,102.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM GRAETZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sumner, in the county of Fillmore and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Manure-Loaders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a manure loader of high etiiciency and large capacity, and to such ends, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The loader, while it is especially designed for handling manure, 'is, nevertheless, capable of handling various other materials,

and is adapted to rake such materials from,

the ground or from a stack and to load the same into the box of a wagon or onto a rack located at one side of the loader. The loader is adapted to operate either while standing still or while traveling. The loader, in the form which, in practice, has been found highly efficient for the purposes had in view, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

in the drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts through the several views, Figure 1 is a plan view of the loader; Fig. 2' is a side elevation of the same; and Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the loader, some parts being broken away.

The various parts of the loader are carried by a four-wheeled truck, shown as comprising a frame 1, front wheels 2, and rear wheels 3. The platform of the frame 1 is an open rectangular structure on which a pair of longitudinally spaced upright pedestals 4 are rigidly secured at one side and. a pair of longitudinally spaced bearing brackets 5 are rigidly secured at the other side. A long inclined elevator frame 6 is interinedia'tely pivoted to the bearing brackets 5, and is provided with an inclined deck 7. An endless elevator belt, shown as made up of chains 8 and transverse slats 9, runs over the endless deck '7. The upper port V 5 of the chains 8 run over sprockets 1O ".-.\.lilil on shaft 11 mounted on the upper end of the elevator frame 6. The lower portions of the said chains 8 run over sprockets 12 of a shaft 13 that is journaled in the lower portion of the elevator frame 6.

The elevator frame 6, as is already noted, is pivotally supported in an oblique position transversely of the supporting truck, and isprovided at the lower end of its sides with outwardly projecting bars or supporting brackets 14. The outer ends of the bars 14 are, as shown, braced by rods 15 and 16 attached, respectively, to the said bars 14 and to the sides of the frame 6, and both attached to struts 17 secured to the sides of the said frame 6. A rake frame 18, at its inner end, is pivotally connected to the supporting bars 14, a transverse shaft 19 or by bearings surrounding the said shaft. The shaft 19 is provided with a pair of laterally spaced sprockets 20 inside of the frame 18, which sprockets aline with similar sprockets 21' married by a transverse shaft 22 journaled in the outer end portion of the frame 18. The sprockets 20 and 21 drive an endless rake belt, shown as made up of sprogket chains 23 and closely? positioned slats 24, the latter, of which, are provided with rake teeth 25. The chains 23 run directly on the sprockets 20 and 21 and the slats 24 are, course, connected to the links of the said chains. r

The inner end portion of the rake is carried by the lower end of the elevator frame 6 and the weight thereof, is suiflcient to keep the lower end of said elevator frame pressed downward. Hence, to support the lower end of the said elevator frame, I provide a so-called ground engaging runner, the said term runner being used in a sense broad enough toinclude any kind of a ground engaging element, whether in the form of a sliding runneror in the form of a wheel. This runner is preferably in the form of a metal strap bent in the form of a yoke 26, the bottom of which is engageable with the ground and the up-turned ends, of which are ri idly secured to the projecting bars 14 o' the said elevator frame. This yoke runner. 26 is ada ted to travel on the ground when the mac ine is driven forward, or backward, for that matter. To support the free or outer end of either directly by -35, which is journaled to a suitable bearing carries a sprocket 50.

'termediate portion of the elevator frame (3.

of which gears are loosely journaled on one ,38 and over a sprocket 52 which is secured the retire at different elevations, I preferably provide a Windlass comprising cables 27, a Windlass shaft 28, and certain cooperating l devices. The extended ends of the cahlcsl 27 are, as shown, attached to a transverse rod 29, secured to the small anchor brackets 30, secured to the sides of the free ends of the rake frame 18. The other ends of the said cable 27 are attached to the Windlass shaft 28, but they are extended over an idle guide roller 31 mounted in the extreme upper ends of the pedestals 4;, while the said Windlass shaft 28 is journaled in hearings secured on the intermediate portions of the said pedestals 4. At one end, the Windlass shaft 28 is provided with a spur gear 33 which, as shown, meshes with a spur pinion carried by the shaft of an operating gear on one of the pedestals-4. An ordinary pawl and ratchet device, or any other suitable means, may be provided for looking the Windlass shaft 28' against rotation under the Weight of the rake. For stripping the manure or other material from the rake, and for insuring the delivery thereof conto the receiving end of the elevator, I provide a which, as shown, is journaled in small bearings 37 on the bars 14, and the shaft, of which, is provided at one end with a sprocket 38.

Preferably, all of the running parts of the loader are driven from an explosive engine 39 mounted on the truck frame, the crank shaft,.of which, is provided with a driving pulley 40. A belt 41 runs over the pulley 40 and over a larger pulley 42, which. latter is secured to one end of a transverse shaft 43, mounted in suitable hearings on the in- This shaft, adjacent to the pulley 42, is provided with a spur pinion 4:4, and, at its other end, said shaft is provided with a sprocket 45. A sprocket chain '40 runs over the sprocket t5 and over a sprocket 4. .on one end of the upper elevator shaft 11'. The pinion 44c meshes with a spur gear 4?), both side of the elevator frame 6. The gear A sprocket chain 51 runs overthe sprocket 50, over the sprocket on one end of-the inner rake shaft 19 By the connections just described, it is evident that the endless elevator bolt, the endless rake belt, and the toothed stripper will all be driven in the directions indicated by the arrows marked on Fig. 3. It will be noted, that the lower run of the rake is the op erative portion and that it rests upon the material which will be picked up,'and rakes the same along to a point where it is taken up by the receiving portion of the elevator belt. The said rake will operate in a horizontal position to rake up a thin iayer of material, and it will thus operate eilicicntly whih: the n'nichinc is advanced forward. Also, as is evident, the wake will. work with equal elliricney to rake n'iaterial from the top 01 a stack and t deliver the same to the elevator. The material carried upward by i elevator will he delivered from the upper end thereof into a wagon box or onto a wagon rack which is located or drivenat the side of the loader. "When the machine is drawn forward, while in action, the runner or shoe 26 will move over the ground and will keep the receiving end of the elevator and the delivery end oi the rake at a constant distance from the grmind regard less oi. irregularities in the ground surfaces.

The machine is oi simple construction,

easy to operate, etticient tor the purposes had in view, and of high loading capacity.

What I claim is: 1. In a loader of the kind described, the combination with a support, oi an inclined elevator having a vertically movable receiv-,

lug end, a vertical adjustable rake pivotally connected to the receiving end of said elevator, and a ground engaging runner supporting the receiving end of said elevator and delivery end oi. 1d rake.

2. In a loader oi the kind described, the

combination with a support, of an inclined elevator intermediately pivoted thereto, a vertically ZUlJUSttblG rake pi'votally connected to the receiving end oi the said elevator, and aground engaging runneinsup porting the receiving end of said elevator and the delivery end of said rake. 4

3. In a loader of the kind described, the combination with a support, of an inclined elevator intermcdiately pivoted thereto, a vertically adjustable rake 'pivotally con nected to the receiving end of the said elevator, and a ground engaging runner supporting the receiving end of said ele al or and the delivery end of said rake, and a rotary toothed stripper working in the ricinity of the receiving end of said elevator and of the delivery end o t said rake. I

4. In a loader of the kind deseriliicd, the combination with a truclr, of a transver ely inclined elevator internicdiately pivolcd' thereto, a vertically ad; .able rake pivtally connected to the receiving end of said elevator, and a guide eng inn runner supporting the receiving end and the delivery end ct said rake.

5. in leader of the 'itihd describ d, the combination with a irucla' ot a tr nsvcrscly inclinedelevator intcrmediateiy pivoted thereto, a vertically adjustable rake pivotally'connected to the rerciving end of said elevator, a guide engaging runner supporting the receiving end ot said elevator and the delivery endsof id rake, and a stripper working in the vicinity of the reot saididevator of said elevator ceiving end of said elevator and of the delivery end of said rake.

6. In a loader of the kind described, the combination with a truck, of a transversely inclined elevator frame intermediately pivoted to said truck, avvertically adjustable rake frame pivoted to the lower end of said elevator frame, an endless elevator belt and cooperating guides therefor on said elevator frame, an endless rake and guides therefor on said rake frame, aground engagin runner supporting the receiving end of said elevator frame and the delivery end of said rake frame, a rotary toothed stripper working in the vicinity of the receiving portion belt and of the delivery portion of said rake belt, and means for driving the said stripper and elevator and rake belts.

7. In a loader of the'kind described, the combination with a truck having an open platform frame, of a transversely inclined elevator intermediatel 'pivoted to said frame and working t rough the opening thereof, a ground engaging runner supporting the lower end of said elevator, and a vertically adjustable rake connected to the receiving portion of said elevator.

In testimon whereof-I aflixmy signature in presence 0' two witnesses.

WILLIAM GRAETZ.

Witnesses: I

Bnnmon G. Wmmn, HARRY D. KILGORE. 

